With Regards
by Spring Zephyr
Summary: Ali visits Japan and helps Kamui with a present for his goddess...


**I wrote this before episode 99 aired, when I came up with the idea "What if Kamui and Ali became friends?" I _meant_ to have this posted before Christmas, but I ended up getting really, really sick. (By the way, I was told that if anyone had a problem with my missing school, I was allowed to puke on their shoes. And I cut the final edits short, because I'm tired of this story sitting unfinished on my flashdrive.)**

**Kamui is a really difficult character to write. Thera Dratara helped a lot with editing advice concerning Kamui. And the idea behind all of Ali's dialogue was basically, "...Well, he probably likes to talk about himself".**

**Ali's surname is written as "Fajr" instead of "Pajeel", because "Pajeel" is not actually Arabic and I've decided to be picky...**

If Kamui had known this was going to happen, he wouldn't have told his friends he could walk home alone today. If he hadn't forgotten his school bag at Card Capitol, perhaps he could have put off their meeting just a bit longer. Or even if he had walked a little faster or taken a different route home...

There were a lot of 'if's. None of them changed reality.

"Christmas is a commercial holiday in Japan, right?"

Kamui's eye twitched. He recognized that voice, and that disregard for minding their own business.

"Ali." Slowly, he turned around. "What are- waah!"

No sense of personal space! Kamui felt screaming was perfectly justified in a situation like this, when there was someone standing right over his shoulder for who knew how long – and damn Ali for looking so damn amused. It was annoying when he did that.

How long had he been there anyway?

Kamui decided not to ask, pushed back the urge to yell at him some more, and then picked himself off the ground where he had not so gracefully fallen.

'Cut to the chase, and maybe he'll leave you alone,' Kamui decided. He thought it sounded like a good, smart plan. The sooner he figured out why Ali was here, bothering him, the sooner Kamui could send him away and be done with him.  
Easy solution. Perfect solution!

"Did you get lost going to India? Why are you in Japan?"

"Arabia, Kamui. And I just came to visit my favorite... eh, well, whatever you are, before the holidays begin."

That was not even half of the encouraging response Kamui had been hoping for. But at least his initial annoyance over Ali being here was forgotten, temporarily.

"I am not a 'whatever I am'! Go home already!"

"Aaaw, but I came here especially for you." Ali's pretend disappointment wasn't very convincing. He never stopped looking like he was having fun while pestering him. "'Merry Christmas' and all that. Happy holidays, happy New Year."

Kamui glared. There was nothing happy about this encounter.

Next question: "Who told you where I lived?"

The answer was Aichi. Of course. Gullible Aichi and his own treacherous mother – she'd even told Ali where to find Card Capital since he wasn't at home, and it was just chance that they'd run into each other on the way back.

"Your mother thinks I'm a 'very nice young man', by the way."

"I hate your stupid smug face..."

There was no point in yelling at Ali for saying stupid things about his mom. As worrying as whatever Ali might have said to his mom was, Kamui had a much stronger desire to see him go home already. He stated this to Ali once more, hoping the other boy might finally get the hint.

He didn't.

"C'mon, where's that Christmas giving spirit?" Ali asked.

"Why aren't you at home bothering your own family? Or in Singapore, bothering Chris and Lee! I think they actually like you!"

That was what Christmas was normally for, right? Friends and family and stuff, and not about presents, which was what Kamui thought was important. Even though it was still a couple weeks away, everyone's mind was on Christmas lately, and it was apparently the only thing Ali had come here to talk about.

Ali laughed. "Well, yeah. But I see those two all the time, and I go home during breaks anyway. 'Sides, I've never seen Japan before, and Japanese christmas seems kind of dull."

"What's your point?"

"You might not know this, Kamui, but Christmas is quite the romantic holiday as well! Seeing as you're completely hopeless, I thought I'd help you out."

Kamui hadn't noticed before, but Ali was standing with both hands hiding something behind his back. He didn't notice at all, until Ali held the tiny package out to him.

Then Kamui had a reason to start screaming again while Ali smiled pleasantly like the idiot Kamui hated him for being.

Why was the kid who had, like, a thousand girlfriends and had tried to steal Miss Emi from him talking about 'romantic holidays' and giving him presents!?

"Don't do things like that, moron! I already have-"

He was interrupted by the loud laughter errupting from Ali.

"Geez, the look on your face! What did you think I was saying? I bought this one the way over here so you could give it to your goddess and capture her heart!"

"...Y-yeah. Right."

Ali acted like it was his fault, but Kamui couldn't shake the feeling that he was being purposely mocked. It might have had something to do with previous bad experiences in getting along with Ali.

A present for his goddess – Miss Emi, huh? Kamui glared at the present suspiciously.

"What's inside that box?"

The box was plain-looking and a solid black, but it was better to ask before he fell for another one of Ali's tricks.

On the other hand, Ali was smart, and he knew a lot about girls – he was even able to recognize Miss Emi, without having met her! The only other people who knew where his friends and maybe big brother Aichi and possibly Miwa and Misaki, Kamui was fairly certain. She stood out, but not enough that a dirty casanova like Ali should have noticed unless he really did know what he was talking about.

As suspicious as it was, Kamui decided it might be worth taking the chance.

...The chance to finally date his goddess!  
And if Ali didn't answer right away, Kamui would know that he had probably been lying. Just like his first plan, it must have been pure genius! Ali wasn't the only smart kid here!  
"If you plan to marry her, it's something that every girl would want," Ali assured him.

He wasn't hesitating, so he must not have been lying, and they both knew that Ali had the most experience in these kinds of things.

For once, Kamui didn't even mind that Ali was talking!

"Use it to charm your goddess. How many times are you going to make me tell you that? Kamui, I want to make sure you know that I am totally supportive of you on this, and that all I'm trying to do is help!"

"And I want you to know that I no longer consider you my enemy!"

"Eh, what?"

That might have been overdoing it. And apparently Ali had never believed they were mutual enemies in the first place – he looked confused.

Kamui ignored that, in favor of more important matters.

The box _wasn't wrapped_.

"Can I open it first!? I want to know what's inside!"

"You seriously haven't guessed already? Man, I knew you were dense, but... it's _obvious_. I already gave you a hint, _if you want to get married_, and you're going to need it if you want to become husband and wife some day. Think about it!"

So Kamui did.

And eventually Kamui realized he'd spent enough time dodging Nagisa's marriage proposals that he _did_ know what it was!

"Wedding rings!?"

To his even greater delight, Ali actually nodded in confirmation. He had no idea how he could use this to charm his goddess, but maybe if he proposed to her she would accept anyway!

Forgetting the fact that Kamui would have to work up the nerve to propose first, this was the greatest day of his life! To show his gratitude and appreciation, he might even consider making Ali the best man, if Aichi didn't want to!

Since he was Emi's older brother, Aichi probably had rights to that kind of stuff or something. Kamui wasn't sure – he could work it out later though.

He snatched the box out of Ali's hands, so excited he nearly dropped it. Which probably would have been bad, because it was two weeks before Christmas and the snow was getting sort of deep.

Being unwrapped, all Kamui had to do was take off the lid, which his trembling fingers and pounding heart made difficult to do.

"I can't believe I didn't guess that right away! It's so obvious! Ali, you're not so-"

The sentence was cut short the instant the lid came off.

He'd given Ali too much credit.

"...I take that back. I hate your guts."

If Kamui weren't so quick to over-react, he might have realized two curious things about the situation that would have clued him in. First was that, while Ali may have been a grade skipping, college student genius with fangirls, he was still twelve and had the average weekly allowance of any other twelve year old.

Second was that he happened to be Ali Fajr.

Kamui felt like an idiot for being fooled so easily, though he definitely felt a renewal of hatred towards Ali as well.

It was his own fault he was gullible, too enthusiastic, and easy to lead on though, which Ali politely refrained from pointing out. Teasing Kamui was more fun if he just didn't know.

"I can't give these to Miss Emi, you got them from some stupid machine!"

They were the type of cheap rings that could be found on the insides of grocery stores and arcades, where young children pester their parents for a small amount of money to put in them. Then they got a sticker.

Or in this case, a couple of crummy plastic "wedding" rings.

"...Rather, I was going to purchase an excellent gift that you could give to your goddess, but then I remembered what a goof you were and picked out something more suitable instead. Anything less 'you' and she might suspect something... Kamui, I'm Muslim. I don't even celebrate Christmas."

The look Kamui was shooting him said, 'not amused', as well as a couple of other things. Maybe even a little disappointed. Definitely that he wouldn't mind if Ali got hit by a truck right about now.

Well, that just wouldn't do.

For one, Ali was not a bully, and for two, that look didn't suit Kamui very well. Kamui probably would have recovered fast enough on his own, but reason number one applied here – Ali wasn't a bad person. Truthfully, he might have had something like this in mind all along.

"Hey! You probably haven't picked out a present for her yet" –actually, it seemed obvious that Kamui hadn't yet– "so we'd better plan a shopping trip for your goddess. I'm serious this time; I'll help you find something she'll like."

"...No jokes this time?"

Just as Ali had thought. _Gullible._

Ali replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world: "No jokes! See, it wouldn't be any good if you pick out something stupid to give her on your own..."

Even while Kamui was angry and yelling at him, he laughed.

Ali knew girls, and Kamui knew his goddess. The two of them together could probably figure out a way to get Kamui's goddess to like him, somehow – though to be honest, Ali didn't actually believe she would dislike any gift she received from Kamui. He was just coming along to make sure it was _better_.

Well, that was at least one thing Ali hadn't been kidding about.

**Basically, Ali is a brat.**

**In Kamui's opinion, perhaps the happiest part of being friends with Ali would be that one moment where he's allowed to push Ali into a lake.**

**Writing smug characters is something I'm much better at, so Ali was seriously my saving grace in this, haha! (I think I'm sorry?) I sincernely meant for him to come off as a _well-intentioned_ brat though.**

**I like writing about Team Minis/S.I.T. Genius. If this does well enough, I might post more for them in the future. Time (and health) permitting, of course.**


End file.
